I was surprised at how much this book snagged me from the get-go, I generally don't read family epics like this that encompass so many different generI was surprised at how much this book snagged me from the get-go, I generally don't read family epics like this that encompass so many different generations but Pachinko ties the characters together through simple things in life, like friendship, work and tragedy. No matter what happens, we soldier on...more

I think this book sits on my favourites shelf this year because Shonda manages reveal SO MUCH OF HERSELF while also inspiring others at the same time.I think this book sits on my favourites shelf this year because Shonda manages reveal SO MUCH OF HERSELF while also inspiring others at the same time. It never feels to sappy, or self-aggrandizing, or bossy, just right. I'm a former Grey/Scandal fan but bailed by the fourth season of each, but am totally hooked on HTGAWM so you don't have to be a Shondaland diehard to love this book. You just have to want to love the idea of a better year and a year of yes....more

Every once in awhile there comes a book which takes your breath away, a book that you basically read in one sitting. This was Eleanor & Park.

I doEvery once in awhile there comes a book which takes your breath away, a book that you basically read in one sitting. This was Eleanor & Park.

I downloaded a sample chapter and went to buy the book the next day, and over the course of 6-8 hours, I immersed myself in the painful, yet familiar world that teen protagonists Eleanor and Park resided in.

Eleanor and Park are essentially outsiders who rely on attitude and exterior indicators to try to 'pass' as normal amongst their peers, but who come to know, respect and love each other before an entire school year is through. Race and class impact their day-to-day lives in Omaha, but they come together through their love of music, reading and the idea of leaving Nebraska some day.

I don't wish to say much more about this novel, except that Rainbow Rowell manages to paint a strikingly accurate portrayal of what it feels like to fall in love for the first time, and what it feels like to lose it, except that you really need to give it the time of day.

No other YA has touched me like this, this novel is basically setting a new standard for teen romance. Authors? Take note....more

Li Lan is an outsider in a slowly depreciating household who realizes her one chance at a nice marriage is dashed when a strange request floats her waLi Lan is an outsider in a slowly depreciating household who realizes her one chance at a nice marriage is dashed when a strange request floats her way. With a ghost tethered to it. But when a hasty mistake throws her deeper into the mystery, she has to be careful who to trust to find her way back to her life.

I loved this super engrossing novel about thinking you know where your life is going and what you want, only to realize you basically know nothing. Li Lan reminded me of being that age of 17/18 and realizing that if you want a life of your own, you need to go from being a passive child to a conscious adult. I don't really want to say more not to spoil it, but it's a great read....more

Of the Pratchett books thus far, the Tiffany ones have been the most interesting to me. The world and characters are so similar but so unlike his otheOf the Pratchett books thus far, the Tiffany ones have been the most interesting to me. The world and characters are so similar but so unlike his other Discworld cities and lands, but have an amazing sense of cohesion. Tiffany is a major part of it.

Despite being still defined as YA, this is by FAR one of the darkest books I've read of Pratchett's yet. Tiffany is the witch of the Chalk, and dealing with things that most adults would dread to even encounter. This only gets worse as ancient evil lurks to find her, due to her recklessness that attracted the Wintersmith in the previous books. Still making up for her mistake, this book is her trip to adulthood and understanding how to be THE witch but also a person.

Crosley, despite being a few years older than me and from a different country/city and environment all together, really captures moments and instancesCrosley, despite being a few years older than me and from a different country/city and environment all together, really captures moments and instances I've had myself, to the point where I felt creeped out 'How does she KNOW THIS STUFF?' which really goes to show how small and insignificant we are, blah blah blah, a great read for the mid to late twentysomethings and early thirtysomething crowd, that is, if you are childless, unmarried and still trying to figure it all out....more

I've been a goodreads member for at least 4 years now, and in that time I've entered dozens and dozens of contests for free books, I remember being inI've been a goodreads member for at least 4 years now, and in that time I've entered dozens and dozens of contests for free books, I remember being infuriated when a new goodreads friend won a contest within a few weeks of signing up!

That is, until I finally won this book, Fauna by Alissa York and completely gobbled it up.

York spins her yarn across the split that divides Toronto in two, mostly sticking to just east of the Don River and the inhabitants, human and mammal, and the interactions between them. With six main characters with intertwining stories, relationships and separate pasts, the book seems daunting but is a very smooth read. Not quick, but it can be if you refuse to put it down as I did! I got excited today, as I passed it in a bookstore, knowing the thrill the next reader will get when they get merely a chapter into the story.

Her narrative ties together nature and story-telling, the history of many animal-centric stories such as Watership Down, The Jungle Book and the Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe come to signify major changes in the story, enough to make you ache to re-read them too.

I'll definitely be picking up her previous works from now own. I'm just glad that the first goodreads contest I won seemed to be a book completely hand-picked, just for me.

I read this before Oryx and Crake, not realizing the two were connected. This is Atwood at her most dystopic and yet frighteningly realistic. While soI read this before Oryx and Crake, not realizing the two were connected. This is Atwood at her most dystopic and yet frighteningly realistic. While some plot points seem more cynical than the last, I stopped to think, are we really this far removed? This book gave me the shivers, to say the least....more

Sometimes when I'm reading an amazing book, tearing through the chapters like a hot knife through butter, I pull back. The last thing in the WORLD thaSometimes when I'm reading an amazing book, tearing through the chapters like a hot knife through butter, I pull back. The last thing in the WORLD that I want to do is to finish such a book.

This is how I felt with Bel Canto, but also because the story is such a lovely one with so many foreshadowings of misfortune for the end. All cannot end well during hostage situations, everybody knows that, but as all the characters seem to forget this point during their capture, all we are left to do as readers is follow along with them, practically wincing as we open each page, not sure of how it's all going to end.

The operatic theme is so strong I felt as if this was a Puccini, a Verdi or even a Bizet. Characters with names that feed into and contradict the opera characters they were named for, the book contains a love for music that is deep and able to transcend the hostages and captors alike.

It's like Alice in Wonderland with asides about war, loneliness, teenage angst, marital dis/content and a search for a love, an ordinary love, but a lIt's like Alice in Wonderland with asides about war, loneliness, teenage angst, marital dis/content and a search for a love, an ordinary love, but a love that makes an unremarkable man do remarkable things....more

My first experience with a Cormac McCarthy book and I am not in a whit disappointed. His attention to detail, whether it be past or present really marMy first experience with a Cormac McCarthy book and I am not in a whit disappointed. His attention to detail, whether it be past or present really marks the desolation and fear felt by the man and his boy as we follow them, down the road.

Could not put this book down, not even to gasp or sigh at the coming events. McCarthys triumph in this novel is presenting a world so bleak but also characters so driven to seek out hope, somewhere in the ashes....more